“Mum is finally at peace”: Cornelia Frances’ son opens up on losing his mum
Cornelia Frances’ son Lawrence Eastland says his beloved mother fought to the very end as she battled cancer before passing away at the age of 77 last week.
"Mum's specialists were stunned by her fighting spirit. She went into palliative care in February, before passing away peacefully last Monday around midday," Lawrence Eastland, 46, told Woman's Day.
"I was by her side, holding her hand when she took her last breath. She slipped away in her sleep. It was serene. There was no pain. I feel relieved that Mum is finally at peace."
The past few years have also been tough on Lawrence, who stopped working as a graphic design work in Byron Bay to care for his mother after she was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2016.
"When she first told me, I broke down in tears," says Lawrence, whose father, Cornelia's former husband Michael Eastland, died of cancer four years prior.
Cornelia underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment, but the cancer spread.
"We kept hoping for a miracle and, I guess, that miracle was the extra time we had together. I'm so grateful for that blessing," he adds.
"Despite the pain, Mum never complained. She was so classy right up until the end."
His mum was renowned for playing villains but Lawrence says she was nothing like her on-screen characters.
"Mum was renowned for playing tough-as-granite bitches on stage and screen. She said they were the best roles, so much fun to play," says Lawrence.
"But she was nothing like her villainous alter egos. She was kind, generous and funny. She loved hosting dinner parties and was a sensational cook.
"Little known fact: Mum holds the record for having, possibly, the shortest career as a TV newsreader. She used to delight in telling how, in 1967, she was offered a job reading the news in Perth."
"She was live to air and was supposed to flick a switch to cut off her voice during commercial breaks. She forgot and mouthed off with some expletives about being nervous. Viewers heard the lot and she was fired on the first night," says Lawrence.
Lawrence added that Cornelia loved being a grandma to Lawrence's 17-year-old daughter Tipani.
"When Tipani was born, her eyes lit up. She always had so much love to give, which is why she was so loved in return," he says.
"The outpouring from friends and fans since her death has been hugely comforting. Mum would have felt very humbled by so many kind words."
Lawrence says even in her last days, his mum kept on smiling.
"She barely ate, but she loved a cheeky glass of her beloved Mumm champagne," he says.